It’s only two weeks away, but
you can still register for the special Continuing Education “Playshop,”
featuring The Monkey Business Institute. The program is scheduled April 10 at
The Barn at Harvest Moon Pond, N3540 State Highway 22, Poynette (just south of
Wyocena).

The Monkey Business Institute
has been spreading the secret benefits of improvisation for almost 10 years.
They have helped countless individuals, groups and corporations learn how to
use improvisational skills to improve their personal and professional lives.

During this session, you will:

learn
effective methods of collaborating with others in a positive
way.

understand how to build
ideas rather than resisting them.

see the value of being
as aware as possible of your environment and the people around you.

be able to use that
awareness to improve your connections to others.

become more effective at
being in the moment and rolling with changes.

most importantly, have a
whole heck of a lot of fun!

More information and a link to
registration is available on the SCLS Continuing Education Calendar. There will be a $12 fee for lunch, and vegetarian options will be
available. You can pay at registration, or send a check (made out to SCLS) to
Heidi Moe at SCLS.

This is a
new regular feature of Online Update to help acquaint member libraries with
members of the SCLS Board of Trustees.

Jennifer Harrington -- Jennifer, who is the new Board
President, is happy to be part of the South Central Library System and give
back to libraries, which have given so much to her. A lifelong avid reader, one
of Jennifer’s favorite people growing up was Walter, the bookmobile driver. Jennifer
and her husband moved to Madison in 2002 and were excited to see such a great
library system in Wisconsin.

Jennifer
has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Masters of Business
Administration from The Ohio State University. She has worked in the energy
industry for the past 16 years and is currently the Director of the Natural Gas
Business at Alliant Energy. During that time, she has been involved in various
leadership roles, project management, business development, risk management and
financial analysis. Jennifer hopes to use her expertise in these areas to
assist the South Central Library System and its member libraries to better
serve patrons.

Joe Carter -- Joe brings a wealth of business
and civic experience to the table as a new Dane County representative on the
SCLS Board.

As a
resident of the city of Madison since 1976, Joe and his wife Jan have been
active supporters of the libraries in Dane County and surrounding counties.
They raised their family on the far southwestern part of Madison and continue
to stay involved in the community through numerous volunteer activities.
Currently, Joe is a Senior Project Manager for Alliant Energy with past
experience with TDS, Dean Heath Systems, Grant Thornton, IBM and several years
as a high school teacher.

Joe has an
MBA in Finance and Marketing and is also a certified Project Management
Professional. His consulting experience includes guiding many prominent local
businesses in the development and implementation of strategic and growth
planning initiatives. Joe's hobbies include hiking, traveling, reading,
photography and cabinetmaking. He brings a discriminating perspective to the
Board with a focus on business management, balanced investments in the
community and a watchful eye on the innovative uses of emerging technologies
within the library system.

If Saturday’s
groundbreaking ceremony for the Portage Public Library addition were a children’s
book, its title might be “Holes.” For sure, it would have characters in yellow
hats.

It was fitting that
dozens of children with plastic shovels and yellow plastic hard hats would be
the ones who, ceremonially, inaugurated construction of the 6,500-square-foot,
$1.5 million addition to the library. The addition is for them.

In fact, the children
kept right on digging as the more traditional aspects of a groundbreaking
ceremony -- speeches by grown-up dignitaries -- proceeded around them. Read more, see more photos,
and watch videos at the Portage
Daily Register website.

The Edible Book Festival is a
free -- open to the public -- event, sponsored by the UW-Madison General
Library System and UW Memorial Library, in celebration of National
Library Week. This year’s event will be held April 16 from
4-6 p.m. at UW-Madison Memorial Library, 728 State Street, in the Memorial
Commons, Room 460.

Over the years, "edible books" have
been made from cake, breadsticks, chocolate, veggies, and matzo meal. Every
entry provides not only some artsy good fun with a dash of creativity, but the
promotion of libraries through community engagement. You don’t have to be a
food artist to sign-up! Past entries have come from UW faculty & staff and
their families, students, community members, and a variety of organizations on
and off campus.

Members of the community are encouraged to
attend, ogle the edible art, and vote for their favorite entries. This is a
family-friendly event, so bring the kids! A cake for attendees will be provided
and served so no one is tempted to taste the entries. Certificates and prizes
will be awarded in multiple categories by the official judges. As in years
past, all who attend will be given the opportunity to vote for the “People’s
Choice” award (a.k.a. “Best in Show”).

The 2013 theme celebrating
National Library Week is “Communities Matter.”

Have you
been part of a successful, original literacy program at your public library? Or
do you know someone who has? If the answer is yes, then learn more about
the PLA Innovations in Literacy Scholarships. Eight $1,000 scholarships will be awarded for registration
and travel to the PLA 2014 Conference in Indianapolis, March 11-15,
2014.

Candidates
must submit an online application describing the public library's achievement
in creative literacy programming for the community, how the program increased
the use of or improved awareness of the public library, and the candidate’s
role in developing or implementing the program. Applicants may preview the
application online, and the deadline to apply is March 29, 2013.

The
Innovations in Literacy Scholarships are funded by a generous donation from the
Cambria Estate Winery, which has a strong tradition of supporting literacy
initiatives.